Chapter 81
Chapter 81: The World’s Number One Dish-Grabbing Contest VS Tian...
The Bajiquan boy and the Tan-leg inheritor pushed fiercely, steadily pushing the entire stainless steel dining table out three to four meters!
The characteristic of Bajiquan is truly fierce and unyielding. This Bajiquan boy, who looks extremely simple and solely devoted to martial arts training, has reached the pinnacle of hidden power, almost mastering internal force.
With one palm strike and one kick, the table was pushed steadily forward, but not a single dish spilled, not even the soup showed more than a slight ripple!
The audience on-site couldn’t see clearly, but the live chat barrage went wild.
“Is this a special effect? Such a thick stainless steel table pushed out like that, how much strength does it take?”
“Simply calculated, the table is five meters in diameter. Even if it’s 1 cm thick, that’s 0.2 cubic meters of steel... This table probably weighs two tons!”
“Look at that thickness, over one centimeter! My god, not a drop of soup spilled!”
“This is way better than martial arts movies! Is there a director in the livestream? Everyone learn this! If you don’t get it, just copy it directly. I want to see this on screen next year!”
Whether or not there was a director in the livestream was unknown, but the viewer count was truly rising rapidly, nearing twenty thousand!
Whether it was these twenty thousand viewers or the audience on-site, everyone forgot to even breathe, holding their breath as they watched the six people in the air.
Will they fall?
No, definitely not!
The small Taoist from Wudang Mountain who can do the Cloud Ladder technique was naturally the most graceful. Almost defying physics, he stomped hard with his left foot on his right, flying toward the table.
He twisted his body mid-air, his Taoist robe fluttering, sounding like waves in the air. In an instant, he transformed from an elegant white heron into a diving eagle!
His mid-air turn was even faster than the two people running on the ground.
If this were a speed race, this young Taoist from Wudang Mountain would definitely be first.
Unfortunately, this was a dish-grabbing contest!
Other sects had varying degrees of footwork or lightness techniques, but only the Hong Fist and Mantis Fist focused their skill mainly on their hands.
The old Taoist of Mantis Fist didn’t care that everyone wore Taoist robes and shouted loudly, “Come back!”
He grabbed the young Taoist’s ankle with one hand, but while saying “Come back,” he cunningly smashed the young Taoist toward the Bajiquan boy’s advancing direction!
The young Taoist yelled mid-air, “You—!”
Being thrown wasn’t the worst part; as he flew horizontally through the air, Old Master Cheng subtly tapped him with his toe.
Using this, the young Taoist caught up with the moving dining table’s direction!
“Hahaha, young Taoist, this old man can’t be blamed, this is fair competition... Tang Yatou!”
Old Master Cheng was proud; behind him, Tang Yang imitated him, slapping Old Master Cheng’s shoulder and leaping forward!
These few people were undoubtedly showing their real skills.
Though the north wind was biting and broken jade flying, the palm Tang Yang placed on Old Master Cheng’s shoulder was wet with a big handprint!
Teacher Gao hurried to explain, but the situation was rapidly changing, and even her explanation was cautious, afraid of ruining the atmosphere.
“Everyone can see, although Director Tang’s palms are sweating profusely, there isn’t a single drop of sweat on her forehead or anywhere else.”“This is the manifestation of internal force in reality as described in martial arts novels. This palm strike uses only the palm, so only the palm sweats; all the skill is concentrated in the palm!”
The cameraman was already busy to the point of madness; this live broadcast scene was truly extraordinary!
At first, when they heard it would be a dual-camera live broadcast, he thought there were too many things going on at this martial arts school. But now he felt that even two cameras couldn’t capture all the excitement.
Just now, they gave a close-up of the wet palm print on Tang Yang’s hand. Next was the scene of Old Master Cheng and the Shaolin young monk striking palms as they flew apart, each flying to opposite sides!
The Wudang Taoist, who was thrown near the Bajiquan boy, had already adjusted his body’s center of gravity. One was in the air, the other on the ground. The two exchanged five, six, or seven quick moves and then both rushed toward the table.
The cameraman switched to a wide shot, instantly capturing everyone at the scene.
The snowflakes grew heavier!
Centered on the dining table, the highest flyer was Tang Yang in red! Half of her hair was loosened in the recent fight; her black hair flowed like a waterfall, legs curled high with feet flexed, arms spread wide, sleeves billowing loudly, like a giant red falcon.
Dark clouds, white snow, red clothes!
And the proud red falcon was about to swoop down on the dish at the very center of the table — Dinghu Shangsu!
Old Master Cheng and the young monk, eliminated this round, both wore gray clothes. Though they were nearly out of the frame, they still struggled to turn back.
The Mantis Fist Taoist used his signature skill, clamping onto the Hong Fist inheritor like a large mantis. The opponent was not to be outdone, revealing about a dozen iron rings on his arms.
The Hong sect, famous abroad, is not just a hollow name!
The Tan-leg inheritor was unstoppable; his chopsticks were already reaching into the Dinghu Shangsu plate!
The cameraman’s hand trembled slightly.
Constantly adjusting the lens, switching close-ups, he felt time passing slowly. But in fact, only a few seconds had passed since pushing the table!
The sudden shifts of attack and defense were so intense that people dared not even blink.
No one in the chat now said this was special effects. Even sarcastic jokes were absent; no one wanted to joke under such a scene.
Facing such a legendary moment, even joking would be a desecration.
Even the once dense chat messages suddenly thinned out.
This was not because the livestream lost viewers — the number had exploded to forty thousand.
No one sent messages because no one could spare attention or wanted to miss this moment!
Tang Yang descended!
The Tan-leg inheritor’s chopsticks touched the Dinghu Shangsu!
The Wudang Taoist used his hands like legs, grabbing several times on the table, inching closer.
The Bajiquan boy raised both fists, recklessly charging forward!
Everyone’s target was the dish in the very center of the table — Dinghu Shangsu.
Because of the cold weather, every dish had a heating pad underneath; this dish was still steaming.
That dreamlike aroma of meat seemed eternal amid the rapidly changing situation.
Because of the intensity of the dish-grabbing contest, Tang Yang specially instructed Chen Ran not to make the quantity of each dish too large.Especially this crucial dish, Dinghu Shangsu!
If everyone only took a little, this banquet dish, as beautifully painted as a freehand landscape, might still be enough for eight people to share.
But since this is a dish-grabbing contest, by now everyone has really gotten serious!
Especially in this weather, in such cold wind, amid the increasingly strong meat aroma!
This meat aroma is no longer just the scent of meat; it carries a taste of victory that is so sweet it intoxicates.
The Tan-leg inheritor’s chopsticks had already begun to grab food.
Judging by the angle his chopsticks opened, it seemed he could take away at least half the portion in one move.
The young monk panicked and shot his Buddhist prayer beads!
The string of beads was launched from the right side; the Tan-leg inheritor’s left hand couldn’t block them. In desperation, he shouted at the young Taoist, “Team up!”
The young Taoist was standing on his hands like claws on the table. Hearing this, he spun around and with a flying kick sent the prayer beads flying away.
His move not only blocked the beads for the Tan-leg inheritor but also intercepted in front of the Bajiquan boy. The prayer beads were finally kicked straight toward the Hong Fist inheritor’s face!
One stone, three birds!
Zhou Zhaowu was so focused he didn’t dare breathe; seeing the thrilling scene, he wanted to jump up and shout but could only slam his hand hard on the armrest beside him.
But while blocking the young monk’s prayer beads, there was still Tang Yang in the air!
Unlike the slow Tai Chi in worldly impressions, in Tang Yang’s hands Tai Chi was not just using softness to overcome strength but was also extremely fierce.
She was still mid-air, yet like a giant falcon swooping down.
Arriving later but striking first, she was just a bit faster than the Tan-leg inheritor!
“Old Master Cheng!”
At this moment on the dining table, there were not only flashing knives and swords but also tactical maneuvers!
Old Master Cheng didn’t even respond. With an iron palm, he grabbed the Tan-leg inheritor’s legs pouncing on the table and pulled backward.
But the opponent’s skill was all in the legs; a clean, swift scissors kick twisted free, turning Cheng’s pull into a chop, striking with a palm.
In the brief moment Tang Yang fell from mid-air, the two had already exchanged five or six rounds!
However, even with the back-and-forth fight, the effort exerted with the legs ultimately slowed the Tan-leg inheritor’s hand movements.
In the end, the first chopsticks were still grasped by Tang Yang descending from the air!
The moment her chopsticks touched the dish, an astonishing long gasp erupted from the entire scene.
That breath was finally released.
Suddenly, thunderous applause rang throughout the martial arts arena! Zhou Zhaowu’s hands were red from clapping, and Zhuo Chenchen had already jumped up screaming!
Amid the deafening applause and cheers, Wang Zhaoshan couldn’t help but discuss with Ms. Wang: “I didn’t expect this Hall Master Tang to know a bit of military strategy. She didn’t engage in close combat just now but fought with all her strength to seize the airborne position. Brilliant!”
Compared to the live audience at the arena, the viewers in the livestream were even more shocked and captivated by this series of exquisite fights.
“This is the martial world…”“Upstairs, it should be called the jianghu!”
Though the fight lasted only a few dozen seconds, even less than a minute, it vividly displayed the entire jianghu!
Not only martial arts but also strategy—everyone’s reaction speed was incredibly fast.
“If I were put up there, I probably wouldn’t even get a single grain of rice…”
“No problem, I can lick the plate!”
“Come on, look at how the experts grab food; the dish in the middle doesn’t even have any gravy left!”
After Tang Yang took a chopstick of food, the entire plate of Dinghu Shangsu was instantly snatched clean.
Seemingly by tacit understanding among experts, whether or not they got any of this dish, after the first grab, everyone quietly adjusted their breath.
That round of grabbing had truly been mentally exhausting!
Tang Yang, who had eaten Dinghu Shangsu before, didn’t need to say much. The one reacting the most was the young Shaolin monk.
Since he went up the mountain as a child, he hadn’t smelled meat’s fragrance. But the moment he caught this scent, he was sure—it was the flavor he had imagined!
He couldn’t help but first recite “Amitabha,” then put the last chopstick of Dinghu Shangsu he grabbed into his mouth.
The gentle gravy wrapped layer upon layer of ingredients entering his mouth. Without even chewing, just the taste alone made him shiver slightly.
That flavor exploded from the back of his tongue to his nape in an instant. Like a sudden awakening, thirty-eight thousand taste buds opened simultaneously to sense such deliciousness.
When carefully chewing, countless layers of textures from different ingredients overlapped. Every bite brought a surprised “Wow!”
Tang Yang had finished her bite and recalled her realization at that moment, quietly saying beside him:
“This Dinghu Shangsu is the chef’s way of combining countless vegetarian ingredients to create the most wonderful imagined meat flavor.”
The young monk paused.
Isn’t it said that a clever housewife finds it hard to cook without rice? But apparently raw materials can be combined too?
He recalled the intention his master passed on, claimed to be the root of the Tathagata Heart Method and the foundation of Bodhidharma’s sudden enlightenment.
But he never practiced it well.
He remembered his master smiling wryly, saying that since he went up the mountain as a child, his original mind was naturally pure, but how could this pure mind be broken and rebuilt?
Yet just like the sweet taste he had just swallowed, even without meat, meat flavor could still be generated.
He hadn’t experienced worldly suffering, but he had felt the sorrow and joy of martial arts practice in the temple. How could the sorrows and joys stirred by the martial path be less than the worldly seven emotions?
The young monk bowed slightly, recited a Buddha name, crossed his legs, and sat on the blue brick floor.
“Get up!”
The Bajiquan boy stepped forward to pull him up but was frozen on the spot by Old Master Cheng’s tiger-like glare.
“Don’t disturb him! And you, you just eat? Taste it carefully!”
The Bajiquan boy smiled foolishly, returned to the table, swallowed a big mouthful of rice, and laughed silly: “Delicious! Even more fragrant than my mother’s ribs!”
Old Master Cheng stomped his foot hard!As soon as he took a bite, he even felt a sense of enlightenment.
But alas, he was after all old.
He sighed, watching the Bajiquan boy eat two more mouthfuls of rice, feeling a bit sorry for him, then suddenly chuckled.
Young people have their advantages! This boy is so single-minded; he should be practicing this overwhelmingly powerful Bajiquan!
And he himself was already over eighty years old...
Old Master Cheng suddenly had a thought.
Bagua Slide, Bagua Slide—grabbing the center during the routine, secretly circling around to jab at the opponent’s waist and spleen.
He, an old man over eighty, why bother arguing with that stubborn Bajiquan fighter?
Just now, though over eighty, he had the initiative, the allied maneuvers, and didn’t neglect his hand techniques!
Bagua Slide—he naturally was an old trickster!
“Hahaha!”
Old Master Cheng laughed three times, picked up his chopsticks, and while everyone was still catching their breath, grabbed a chopstickful of steamed vegetarian perch!
A new round of grabbing dishes began again!
Chen Ran watched, captivated, then quietly glanced at the system.
The flavor effect mission for Dinghu Shangsu was unexpectedly completed so smoothly.
However, the martial arts fight was so brilliant that she didn’t care to check what the flavor effect was and closed the system panel to focus on thinking.
Just now, the young monk and Old Master Cheng had clearly attained enlightenment—so who was the third one?
For a moment, it was impossible to tell!
Except for the young monk sitting on the ground meditating, everyone else was locked in fierce combat, and no one was at a disadvantage!
Having just tasted the delicious Dinghu Shangsu, and with some even enlightened on the spot, the subsequent scramble for dishes became even more intense.
The most direct reflection of this intensity was the number of viewers in the live stream, which surged to seventy thousand!
Zhou Zhaowu was so excited his watch kept alarming, but he had no time to pay attention to his heart rate and kept flooding the group chat.
“See? This is martial arts, this is the jianghu!”
“Chinese kung fu is not dead!”
The heir to Hongquan was so fired up that he had taken off his outer jacket; every punch he threw made the ten iron rings on his arms clang vigorously.
The Mantis Fist old Taoist was not very noticeable before, but now truly unleashed his power, standing tall, both fists like knives—precise and fierce!
The disciple of Tan Leg seemed to have found the real way to grab dishes. Since his hand skills were lacking, he imitated Tang Yang just now, seeking opportunities from the air.
And the most eye-catching was still Tang Yang in her red clothes!
Using Taiji’s listening energy skill, it was even hard to tell what moves she used—touch her and she retreats, meet her and she steps away! Even the fierce, powerful Open Stele Hand of the just-enlightened Old Master Cheng was swept aside by her palm!
Taiji Sticky Clothes Eighteen Falls!As long as she touched it, no matter how much force was used, it would make them fall!
Zhù Chénchén’s voice was hoarse from shouting, hugging Tú Xiǎoníng as they jumped up and down together; no one could hear what the two girls were saying.
Wáng Zhāoshān’s face was also flushed; though he had never been interested in martial arts before, he was quietly mimicking the moves with his hands.
The number of viewers in the live stream had already surpassed the magical 100,000!
Not only the live broadcast, countless clips of this segment were quietly circulating as well.
“This is the martial world!”
“The jianghu is still alive! On this land, no one has ever given up their persistence!”
Those previously accusing Tang Yang of throwing matches under her Weibo posts were now apologizing one after another.
“Sorry, Chief Tang, we judged you unfairly!”
“The dish-grabbing competition is really exciting!”
“What caught my attention more is that this martial arts competition, which they could have just finished by casually practicing moves and boxing stances, they instead mobilized everyone to put on such a spectacular fight for us!”
“Did you notice that stainless steel table? The dishes weren’t even all taken yet, but it’s already full of dents! It’s hard to imagine what would happen if these people really fought.”
“Upstairs, I don’t know what the consequences would be, but I do know the live stream will definitely be shut down…”
Not only the comment section, but also the barrage and chat in the live stream began to buzz with conversation.
After all, such emotions swelling in the chest had to be vented a bit before continuing to watch.
“At first, it seemed like they were just playing around, but maybe it’s my imagination—didn’t it seem like everyone started really fighting after tasting the first bite?”
“You’re right. Look at that little monk, didn’t he start going wild right after one bite?”
“I’m 35 this year, so I definitely can’t learn martial arts now. But I just want to try that dish the little monk ate before sitting down to meditate—does anyone know what dish that was?”
Gradually, it wasn’t just martial arts people who were paying attention to this table of delicacies!
“The commentator said before, this dish is called Dinghu Shangsu!”
The live stream attracted more and more people, including some insiders of the martial world.
Everyone had seen the young monk’s moment of enlightenment sitting on the ground just now! Regardless of whether that enlightenment came from the fierce dish-grabbing fight or from eating the dish, any martial artist would be moved.
This dish really deserves to be fought over!